Last Saturday TCS Chennai held it's Annual Day Outing for the RTSC (Retail Travel Solutions Center) office at Queensland Amusement Park. The entrance fee was heavily subsidised for TCS employees. Usually, it would cost Rs.400 per adult entry, for TCS that day, it costs only Rs25!! (with lunch, high tea and transport provided).
The amusement park is located at the outskirts of Chennai. It took us about 1hr to reach by the company bus. Interestingly, I finally understood why Wikipedia reported that Chennai is the Detroit of South Asia. The automakers are all on the outskirts. There were so many trailers carrying newly assembled cars or parts. Also, it was here, I get to see the stereotypical impression of India's roads -> cows everywhere!
Anyway, the amusement park was quite interesting but after awhile, it gets abit disappointing. I now realise how grand Jerudong Park is. The sheer size of the park and the rides available at JP was top class (well... at least it was 8years ago). The interesting/unfortunate thing about this park is that no one really care about safety especially people "customizing" the rides to get the "kick" out of it. One example is the pirate ship ride. There was this guy who slipped out of his chair so that he was standing when the boat rocks. My friends and I were so shocked to see him out of his chair. He supported himself by grabbing the bars behind him. Imagine if he lost hold of his grip, he would have been sent flying.... crazy fellow.
Another case that happened was this "Crazy Horse Ride". On first look, it did not seem dangerous or exciting to ride at all. As the name suggest, it is a "horse ride". Basically you sit on the "horse" and it will rise, shake and spin. When I saw it, I was thinking "Goodness, this kind of ride also considered fun ah? It's more like for kids only". Suddenly, when the "horse" made a 360-spin, a guy flew out of his seat and did a "breakdance" on the floor. He looked a little scratched but no serious injury. After that, I then noticed got a girl holding onto the "horse" so tightly with her eyes closed! LOL....
The biggest disappointment with this park is the famous Vertical Drop. It was my first time trying out that ride. My friends knowing that I have a great fear of height/falling dared me onto the seat. Somehow, on that particular day, I was not feeling that scared at all but I know that I would be screaming when I fall. As I went up the ride with another friend, I could feel cold sweat breaking out of my palms. Suddenly without warning, it just dropped. For the 1st "drop", I was like - "Huh?". In my thoughts were - How come I could feel my butt all throughout the ride? Shouldn't I be screaming? Where is that "fear" I was expecting? Disappointed, I took the 2nd "drop" with full of confidence. Later I checked with my friend and confirmed that the drop was slower than "normal standards". He then recommended me to try out the one in Australia, supposedly powered by gas instead of chains. Well, I think I will go try out JP drop first... =P
At the end of the day, my friends and I were all tired and tanned. Overall, it was a great day.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Food for Thought
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
"Which road do I take?" she asked.
His response was a question: "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Interesting isn't it? It struck me for awhile. I'm now a little puzzled as well as reflecting abit deeper on what this means.
"Which road do I take?" she asked.
His response was a question: "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Interesting isn't it? It struck me for awhile. I'm now a little puzzled as well as reflecting abit deeper on what this means.
Friday, February 17, 2006
An Indian Wedding Ceremony I Attended
An Indian Marriage (Engagement Ceremony)
Yesterday my friends and I had the pleasure of being invited to one of our colleague’s wedding ceremony. Actually this particular ceremony I attended was a “compact” wedding ceremony for Indians (of course, length of ceremonies varies depending on their castes). Some castes have the wedding ceremonies for a few days while other castes have it for a day. This particular one I went to was a “compact ceremony”. I did not really attend the real wedding ceremony but instead a betrothal ceremony (aka engagement). Her wedding is held a day after this betrothal reception.
Anyway, somewhat similar to Chinese wedding receptions, the guests will usually bring gifts (money is also included but instead of angpows, it is sealed in a normal envelope) for the bride and bridegroom. On a side note, I just learnt that one (from a movie) should say “Congratulations” to the bridegroom and “Best Wishes” for the bride.
The ceremony was held in a marriage hall on the 4th floor of a building quite far from office and the place I live. It’s situated near Anna International Airport (aka Chennai Airport – 40mins by taxi to where I stay). Initially my friends and I had some expectations of how the ceremony would be like and how the hall will be decorated. This is because there is also a marriage hall at Mylapore (the area where we stay). Here, almost every night this month, people hold grand wedding ceremonies there with beautiful lightings and decorations. There were so many types of food being served – buffet style. This particular ceremony I went to was not as grand but still it was a good new experience. I know the other ceremony would cost a whopping amount of money. Indian marriages are not cheap you know, usually have to spend about Rs.5lakhs if one arranges for a 3day marriage with food, accommodation all provided for friends and relatives. (1lakh = 100,000; Rs5lakh=S$25,000)
I had a colleague (ex-teacher) who was kind enough to share about the Indian culture and tradition. He emphasized a lot that during the reception, it is very important for “ensuring that all guests are well taken care of”. Usually, it is the bride’s family to make sure that all guests have enough food to eat and a comfortable place to sleep. Oh yes – dowries are paid from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s family unlike Chinese traditions. In Chinese traditions, the groom has to pay dowries to the bride because (I don’t know whether it is true or not but… anyway) it is like paying the parents of the bride for taking good care of his wife before they are married. So, can we say this as a service charge by the bride’s family? =P
On the other hand, traditionally in Indian families, when the bride is married, the family would send money/dowries to her to “ensure she is well and have enough”. (Her husband not good enough to support her? I don’t know….) Basically, it is the parents of the bride concerned for her welfare so they give money to the bride often after marriage. Somehow, this tradition evolved into paying dowries for the marriage. Maybe because of this, most of the Indian men I met here like to spend lots of time in the toilet combing their hair, freshening up unlike in Singapore. There are also a lot more men clothes shops and perfumes being sold here than for women. Indian men who went through college and working in IT firms are hot in the market not only for their skills but their “marriageability”. Anyway, before I digress too much, I’ll return to the main topic – the ceremony I went to.
We arrived at the ceremony relatively early – 720pm when the ceremony was said to start at 730pm on the invitation card. Just like Chinese weddings, many people come late and the event started at only about 830pm. Chairs were laid out in the hall in the usual way facing the stage where a group of people were having “karaoke” session. Initially I thought it was just like Chinese dinner receptions with people having karaoke sessions except without TV. To substitute the TV, there were 3 books of lyrics which they keep swapping and a live band to perform the music. Only later I realized it was hired performers… Hahaha… At the side of the stage, two chairs were set up specially (just like Malay weddings).
When the main event began, there was a group of traditional Indian musicians to play the drums and pipe. It was starting but the bride and groom is still no where to be seen. However, at the place where the two special chairs were, the families of the bride and groom gather on each side of the chair, sitting on the floor. They had some baskets with them which I didn’t really understand what. When the basket was passed from one of the family members to the other, people started to clap. Ceremony suddenly done and we were guided downstairs to the dining hall.
Well, here is where the term – “When in Rome, do what the Romans do” is enforced. My friends and I had to eat with our hands because there are no plates, spoons or fork. Instead, we have a big pandan leaf as plate. In city marriages, food is arranged and served by the caterer onto the pandan leaves. In villages, the relatives of the bride will do the serving although the food is cooked by caterers. Here, we were served by the relatives as well (usually for 2nd servings) – because as stated earlier – very important to ensure guests are well taken care of. In addition, all food served are vegetarian irregardless. There was quite a variety of food and quite tasty also (or was it my fingers?)
After dinner, we went back up to the hall and queue to take pictures with the bride and bridegroom. (When did they get there???) After that, event was over. It felt quite sudden but I suppose it was just a betrothal ceremony. The real wedding ceremony is held the next day but I have work… so can’t attend. Overall, it was an interesting ceremony.
(I know I have written a freaking long essay here... =P ... what to do?)
Yesterday my friends and I had the pleasure of being invited to one of our colleague’s wedding ceremony. Actually this particular ceremony I attended was a “compact” wedding ceremony for Indians (of course, length of ceremonies varies depending on their castes). Some castes have the wedding ceremonies for a few days while other castes have it for a day. This particular one I went to was a “compact ceremony”. I did not really attend the real wedding ceremony but instead a betrothal ceremony (aka engagement). Her wedding is held a day after this betrothal reception.
Anyway, somewhat similar to Chinese wedding receptions, the guests will usually bring gifts (money is also included but instead of angpows, it is sealed in a normal envelope) for the bride and bridegroom. On a side note, I just learnt that one (from a movie) should say “Congratulations” to the bridegroom and “Best Wishes” for the bride.
The ceremony was held in a marriage hall on the 4th floor of a building quite far from office and the place I live. It’s situated near Anna International Airport (aka Chennai Airport – 40mins by taxi to where I stay). Initially my friends and I had some expectations of how the ceremony would be like and how the hall will be decorated. This is because there is also a marriage hall at Mylapore (the area where we stay). Here, almost every night this month, people hold grand wedding ceremonies there with beautiful lightings and decorations. There were so many types of food being served – buffet style. This particular ceremony I went to was not as grand but still it was a good new experience. I know the other ceremony would cost a whopping amount of money. Indian marriages are not cheap you know, usually have to spend about Rs.5lakhs if one arranges for a 3day marriage with food, accommodation all provided for friends and relatives. (1lakh = 100,000; Rs5lakh=S$25,000)
I had a colleague (ex-teacher) who was kind enough to share about the Indian culture and tradition. He emphasized a lot that during the reception, it is very important for “ensuring that all guests are well taken care of”. Usually, it is the bride’s family to make sure that all guests have enough food to eat and a comfortable place to sleep. Oh yes – dowries are paid from the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s family unlike Chinese traditions. In Chinese traditions, the groom has to pay dowries to the bride because (I don’t know whether it is true or not but… anyway) it is like paying the parents of the bride for taking good care of his wife before they are married. So, can we say this as a service charge by the bride’s family? =P
On the other hand, traditionally in Indian families, when the bride is married, the family would send money/dowries to her to “ensure she is well and have enough”. (Her husband not good enough to support her? I don’t know….) Basically, it is the parents of the bride concerned for her welfare so they give money to the bride often after marriage. Somehow, this tradition evolved into paying dowries for the marriage. Maybe because of this, most of the Indian men I met here like to spend lots of time in the toilet combing their hair, freshening up unlike in Singapore. There are also a lot more men clothes shops and perfumes being sold here than for women. Indian men who went through college and working in IT firms are hot in the market not only for their skills but their “marriageability”. Anyway, before I digress too much, I’ll return to the main topic – the ceremony I went to.
We arrived at the ceremony relatively early – 720pm when the ceremony was said to start at 730pm on the invitation card. Just like Chinese weddings, many people come late and the event started at only about 830pm. Chairs were laid out in the hall in the usual way facing the stage where a group of people were having “karaoke” session. Initially I thought it was just like Chinese dinner receptions with people having karaoke sessions except without TV. To substitute the TV, there were 3 books of lyrics which they keep swapping and a live band to perform the music. Only later I realized it was hired performers… Hahaha… At the side of the stage, two chairs were set up specially (just like Malay weddings).
When the main event began, there was a group of traditional Indian musicians to play the drums and pipe. It was starting but the bride and groom is still no where to be seen. However, at the place where the two special chairs were, the families of the bride and groom gather on each side of the chair, sitting on the floor. They had some baskets with them which I didn’t really understand what. When the basket was passed from one of the family members to the other, people started to clap. Ceremony suddenly done and we were guided downstairs to the dining hall.
Well, here is where the term – “When in Rome, do what the Romans do” is enforced. My friends and I had to eat with our hands because there are no plates, spoons or fork. Instead, we have a big pandan leaf as plate. In city marriages, food is arranged and served by the caterer onto the pandan leaves. In villages, the relatives of the bride will do the serving although the food is cooked by caterers. Here, we were served by the relatives as well (usually for 2nd servings) – because as stated earlier – very important to ensure guests are well taken care of. In addition, all food served are vegetarian irregardless. There was quite a variety of food and quite tasty also (or was it my fingers?)
After dinner, we went back up to the hall and queue to take pictures with the bride and bridegroom. (When did they get there???) After that, event was over. It felt quite sudden but I suppose it was just a betrothal ceremony. The real wedding ceremony is held the next day but I have work… so can’t attend. Overall, it was an interesting ceremony.
(I know I have written a freaking long essay here... =P ... what to do?)
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Motorbike & long apparels
The other night on my way to this cyber cafe, I saw the aftermath of an accident. A woman was sitting on the road stuck to her husband's motorbike. She was holding on to a baby. Passerbys quickly went over to help her carry the baby. Her husband tried hard to free her saree from the wheels. Although nothing serious (except for maybe a painful backside), it was shocking for me as well. It could've been a worse event. I told my Indian friend about this and she replied "Yah, it's very common. Very often people die from it".
It is very common to see men driving their bikes with presumably their wifes (rarely girlfriends.. due to the culture here - oh ya, Happy Valentines Day everyone! There are some interesting stories about India's "love police". If I have time, I'll post it right after this... else some other time). The women are usually wearing traditional sarees or salwar khameez. Both are dangerous on the bikes because of the extra long cloth. It gets tangled up easily. Road safety regulations here are not sufficient. People rarely wear helmets. Most prefer to just get the headgear with a screen (to protect from the dust and other particles) rather than a sturdy helmet.
It is also quite rare for women here to dress with "western" clothes. On the streets, it is mainly sarees. At work, most wear the salwar khameez. Anyway, I have digressed... the lady did not look like she suffered much injuries. The baby did not look hurt and was not crying. I was relieved and since they were others helping the couple out, I continued to the cyber cafe.
It is very common to see men driving their bikes with presumably their wifes (rarely girlfriends.. due to the culture here - oh ya, Happy Valentines Day everyone! There are some interesting stories about India's "love police". If I have time, I'll post it right after this... else some other time). The women are usually wearing traditional sarees or salwar khameez. Both are dangerous on the bikes because of the extra long cloth. It gets tangled up easily. Road safety regulations here are not sufficient. People rarely wear helmets. Most prefer to just get the headgear with a screen (to protect from the dust and other particles) rather than a sturdy helmet.
It is also quite rare for women here to dress with "western" clothes. On the streets, it is mainly sarees. At work, most wear the salwar khameez. Anyway, I have digressed... the lady did not look like she suffered much injuries. The baby did not look hurt and was not crying. I was relieved and since they were others helping the couple out, I continued to the cyber cafe.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Laptop & Handphone dying
I'm having problems with my laptop these days. It won't start properly and sometimes the screen turns "red". All the colors fade into red. Fortunately I have already made a backup of my stuff when I got my external hard disk early this year. Still.... there are some files in my laptop that I want to copy out. My laptop was showing signs of problems late last year when the mouse pointer started to move on its own. When I came back to Chennai, it was totally "dead". The mouse pointer would automatically move to one end of the screen and then stop there. I would have to manually open my programs using shortcut keys and Alt-Tabs. So mafan.... In addition to that, it is quite slow sometimes. And finally...this afternoon it won't boot up (it was still working in the morning although red screen and dead cursor... hai~)
My handphone is also dying. The pixels on some parts of my handphone will be burned onto the screen. It blocks out 3/4 of the screen. Fortunately, the screen returns to normal (sometimes only for a shortwhile) after I switch it off and back on again. Quite annoying but at least still can use. :P
My handphone is also dying. The pixels on some parts of my handphone will be burned onto the screen. It blocks out 3/4 of the screen. Fortunately, the screen returns to normal (sometimes only for a shortwhile) after I switch it off and back on again. Quite annoying but at least still can use. :P
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